The Midnight Brew Presents: Marta Acosta

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Marta Acosta received a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from Stanford University and is a frequent contributor of humor, gardening and design columns to The San Francisco Chronicle and The Contra Costa Newspapers. She's had too many jobs to recall, none of which she enjoyed as much as writing at home. Marta lives with her husband, son, and ancient dog. An avid gardener, she likes independent films, funny novels, loud music and lively conversation. She is highly skeptical about the paranormal, even though she can tell when her mother is calling by the way the phone rings. The Midnight Moon Café is proud to present author, Marta Acosta! Cass: What made you decide to write paranormal romance? Do you recall the first paranormal romance you read? Marta: Happy Hour at Casa Dracula is a comic novel, and I wanted to write something fun because I get so much pleasure out of comedies. It’s a real thrill for me when something that I write makes others laugh. I threw in the paranormal theme because I thought it would be amusing to watch someone who already felt like an outsider have to deal with being excluded by snobby vampires. The first vampire story I read with a romance was Christopher Moore's Bloodsucking Fiends, a Love Story. It’s a delightful read, terrifically funny, about a young woman who's trying to cope with being turned into a vampire, and her romantic relationship with an energetic teenage grocery clerk. I was also a real fan of “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer” and “The X-Files.” Cass: Who influenced you the most in your writing? Marta: Mark Twain and Kurt Vonnegut probably influenced me the most in developing a humorous, colloquial, first-person narrative. For all his brilliance, Twain never tried to intimidate or impress his readers; he always lets them in on the joke. There is a warmth, an approachability to their work. For the Casa Dracula characters, I'm taking cues from Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, and other women writers of the 19th century. I created Milagro after thinking about the heroines I admire in their novels. I wanted Milagro to be clever, but ethical. Whenever she falls down, she picks herself up again. She makes mistakes, but tries to correct them. Like all young people, she misunderstands people and situations, but she learns and grows. I love P.G. Wodehouse novels and his eccentric, clueless characters. I’ve got eccentrics, and Milagro is occasionally a little clueless, such as in her dedication to writing political horror stories that no one wants to read. Wodehouse brought silliness to a whole new level, and I definitely give silliness a place in my novels. Cass: As a fellow gardener, I wondered if you ever write in your garden? What's your favorite flower? Herb? Marta: When I visit the ranch that inspired the setting for Casa Dracula, I take my laptop out to the garden and write until the day gets too hot. At home, I can't write in the garden, because I'll ignore my work to start weeding or planting. I have a little office with a window looking out onto my back garden, and I enjoy watching the birds and the squirrels. They frequently perch on the grapevines growing on the pergola and watch me, too. My favorite plants change according to the season. Right now, my heirloom roses are beginning to bloom, and I find their beauty captivating. I've got one called 'Thisbe,' a hybrid musk that's supposed to top out at six feet. It's now at about 25' clambering into a tree, with hundreds of small, lemon-tinted blooms. My favorite herb is rosemary. It’s a nice shrub, the bees love it, and I use it frequently in cooking. Cass: Have you always been funny? Do you find it hard to write humor? Marta: Everyone in my family is funny. I thought it was a normal thing for families to tell absurd stories, to exaggerate for effect, and to try to one-up one another. If I'm in a good mood, writing humor comes easily. Generally, I’m just trying to amuse myself. When I’m feeling particularly silly, my husband will tell me, “You think you’re so funny.” There are a lot of wonderful people who are very serious all the time. When I hang out with them, I feel the humor leaking out of me like oil out of a Ford Fiesta. Sincerity, really, is the Kryptonite of laughter. Cass: How much time do you dedicate to research for your stories? Or do you research along the way? Marta: I dedicate at least five minutes to research a novel. Sometimes, I'll even Google for ten minutes straight. I always contact my smarter pals and ask them to do the hard thinking for me. One physician friend had to figure out exactly how someone can have vampiric symptoms without being a mythical vampire. He also figured out why someone might behave like an incubus. Cass: Let's talk a little about world-building. How did you come up with your backstory? And how did that setting affect your main characters? Marta: My backstory is a typical premise of 19th century novels. A young woman of little means goes to a large house in the country where there is at least one very attractive man of good fortune. In a gothic, like Jane Eyre, there's a dark secret, heartbreak, and eventually a happy resolution. In a romantic comedy, there are gratuitous misunderstandings, heartbreak, and eventually a happy resolution. The isolation of the country house allows the characters to be a little more ignorant about the overall situation and more dependent upon one another for information and amusement. I slapped the vampire theme on top of that for fun. Instead of being sophisticated guys with capes, they’re snobs who find your outfits tacky and your behavior gauche. Yes, they’re wealthy, but they’ll bore you with discussions about real estate investment. Cass: Do you and your heroine, Milagro do los Santos, have a lot in common? Marta: Like many Latinas, including me, Milagro has a college degree and career goals. We share a love of books and writing. Milagro’s an experienced gardener, and I’m an amateur. Milagro is, however, based more on the characters I admire than myself. She’s quite alone in the world and desperately longs for a loving family. I have a large, close family, and I couldn't get away from them if I tried. Milagro is sunny and optimistic, but I'm cynical and have a dark sense of humor. Cass: Let's say you've just landed a movie deal, and you get to pick the actor who'll play Oswald Grant, your hero. Who would you pick? And why? Marta: Well, Oswald is a delightful fellow, but he is not the hero. There is no hero, because Milagro must resolve her own situations. Oswald’s good-looking, of medium height, with brown hair, and a crooked smile. I think someone like Jason Lee (cleaned up from his shaggy "My Name Is Earl" look) would be good because he's charming, smart, funny, and quirky. Can Jude Law do an American accent? Cass: Is there any one thing you absolutely have to have by your computer in order to write? Marta: Yes, I have to have my Slinky. I like to play with it while I think, and especially when I'm on the phone. I lost it for a few days and was disconsolate. I kept looking for it while I was talking on the phone, leading to some very disjointed conversations. It was hiding behind some magazines. Cass: Is a man sexier with or without his clothes? ;) Marta: A sexy man is sexy either way. I happen to think real sexiness comes from inside, which is why some gorgeous men who aren't sexy at all, and some guys who look like the troll under the bridge attract women by the dozen. Cass: What do you know now you wished you'd known "then"? Marta: I wish I’d known that freelancing for newspapers was a good way to establish myself as a writer. If you don’t know the right people, you have to find another way to get inside. I kept banging on the front door for too long when I should have been climbing in through a back window. Cass: Have you ever had a paranormal experience you'd like to relate to our readers? Any weird bites? LOL Marta: Yes, I've had a premonition that you're going to send me a large quantity of money. You’re not? Okay, then, no. I don't believe in the supernatural. I scarcely believe in the natural. I do believe in unnatural because I saw a miniature poodle wearing tiny yellow shoes the other day, and there’s nothing more unnatural than that. Cass: Can you tell us a little about what you're working on now? Marta: I am supposed to be working on the third novel in the Casa Dracula series. I do this by playing with my Slinky, and going outside to weed and plant. Cass: Do you have a newsletter, blog, or website where fans can read about you and your books? Marta: Yes, my website is www.martaacosta.com, and my blog is at: www.martaacosta.blogspot.com. No one reads this blog, so it’s just getting loonier and more pathetic. I’m also at MySpace, www.myspace.com/martaacosta. If you sign up as a MySpace friend, I can send you bulletins. Want a little Midnight Brunch? Then enter the contest. One lucky reader will win both of Ms. Acosta's books, Happy Hour At Casa Dracula and Midnight Brunch! Simply email us at: midnightmooncafe@gmail.com with the subject line: Midnight Brunch, and include your name and snail mail address. Winner will be picked at random from among all completed entries, and will be posted Thursday night just before the witching hour. ;)